


Paper Dreams

by the10amongstthese3s



Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: Beheaded Cousins, Elizabeth Boleyn is babey, Fluff, I shall never call her tudor, I will dedicate my life to writing about mama anne, One Shot, Reminiscing, because they're precious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:08:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23708134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the10amongstthese3s/pseuds/the10amongstthese3s
Summary: Laying in bed late one night, Katherine Howard and Anne Boleyn decide to reminisce about Elizabeth and how their lives would change if she was ever reincarnated.
Comments: 16
Kudos: 112





	Paper Dreams

The nighttime can be a terrifying thing. Darkness, isolation, the complete silence it brings. It’s as if the world stops turning the moment the sun sets. 

Thankfully, Anne Boleyn didn’t have to worry about facing the night alone.

Though she didn’t like to admit it, Anne was eternally grateful for the comfort that came with Katherine Howard sharing her bed. At first, she’d let the girl sleep in her room for Kit’s benefit after realising how bad her nightmares were getting. After a while though, Anne found herself struggling to sleep alone, waiting for that inevitable moment around 2am where the teenager would sneak into bed beside her.

Some nights, even with the security of having each other, the cousins still struggled to sleep. Who could blame them for keeping themselves awake at night overthinking after all they’d been through?

Tonight was one of those nights.

As they laid in silence, staring up at the fairy lights hanging around the room, Kit couldn’t help noticing the framed picture of Elizabeth on the windowsill. It wasn’t common for Anne to talk about the girl but, when she did, it was usually with Parr or Maggie. Sometimes even Jane got to see that side of her. The side that grieved for her past life. Never Kit though.

“Annie?”

Kit couldn’t help herself. She wanted to talk. She needed this and so did Anne. 

“What’s up, Kitten?” Anne asked, turning over to face the younger girl. She’d been expecting a request to go to the bathroom with the teen or maybe turn on a movie. Whatever she thought may come from Kit’s mouth, it certainly wasn’t what she ended up saying.

“What do you think it’d be like if Lizzie was here? Like, how do you think everyone would be with her?”

For a moment, Anne felt her breath stop. Of course, she’d thought about that scenario a million times. Waking up and finding that adorable little redhead on her doorstep. She’d thought about how much the queens would love her and how Maggie may react. She’d even thought about things as simple as the new foods she could introduce the girl to - she was so sure she’d love avocado for some reason. 

All that being said though, Anne had never once considered that anyone else had thought about such a thing. After all, why would they? 

Sometimes, it was easy to forget that Kit saw Elizabeth as a little sister at court, or that Parr and Jane had a hand in raising her. Perhaps it was just denial. If she didn’t get to see her daughter past such a young age, why did they deserve such a privilege? Anne wasn’t a selfish woman, she simply found it easier not to think about all she’d missed out on. Seeing the expectant look on her curious cousin’s face though, Anne knew she couldn’t avoid talking about the girl again. 

“Well, for starters, I think she’d love her Auntie Kitty,” Anne teased, throwing a pillow at the girl. 

“I think Aragon would spoil her! She’d totally be the one to buy her all the best toys,” Kit giggled.

The smile that spread on Anne’s face at that thought was undeniable. The idea of Aragon spoiling her little girl warmed her heart more than she’d like to admit. It was true though, Aragon would definitely be the one to spoil her rotten.

“Jane would probably abduct her. I’d come downstairs for breakfast and there’d just be a note saying they’d gone to the park. We’d probably end up with joint custody,” Anne joked, watching Kit’s eyes light up at the idea. “Imagine that woman’s hormones around a little one. There would be so much baking! Remember that time she held a baby and spent the next three days baking cookies?”

Baking had always been an outlet for Jane ever since their arrival in the 21st century. Upset? Bake a cake. Hormonal? Cookies. Nervous? Cinnamon buns. Stressed out? Scones. Excited? Pie!

If they ever smelled a lemon cheesecake in the house, the queens knew to run a mile. On that rare occasion, Jane was angry.

“At least the house would smell good!”

Giving a chuckle, Anne looked back to the younger girl. She’d never expected talking about this to be so therapeutic. So, with a grin, Anne prompted the girl for more. 

“How about Cleves?”

“Oh, Cleves would totally be like that one person kids absolutely love even though she does her best to avoid them. Elizabeth would follow her around like a little duckling,” Kit giggled. 

Truthfully, Anne had always had the same opinion. Cleves would be standoffish at first, but that would only draw the little girl’s attention. After all, when everybody else is pampering you constantly, it would be easy to notice the one person who seems to keep their distance.

“She’d go soft eventually, though. Like, she’d stick her tongue out at her behind our backs and pull faces when no one was looking,” Kit continued. “She’d go full guard dog with her like she does with us, too. I can just imagine Lizzie coming home from school crying and Cleves going and punching a five year old who pushed her on the playground.”

Anne had to laugh at that. Mostly because it was so true. Cleves was the type of person to be completely calm at all times until it came to her family. 

“I can imagine Cathy reading her bedtime stories. Knowing her, she’d probably be reading Shakespeare or some crap, rather than actual kids' books,” Anne pointed out with a smirk. Parr had always had a wonderful imagination. She’d be lying if she said she’d never dreamt about the woman making up stories for the fiery-haired girl.

“You three would have inside jokes in French that nobody else understood and it’d drive us all insane! It’d be adorable though.”

Now that was a satisfying idea. Aragon would be so annoyed knowing she didn’t understand what was being said. They’d probably tease the woman by glancing at her whilst joking around just to wind her up.

The idea of causing mayhem with the little girl made Anne’s heart grow five sizes. Her own little mini-me to do her dirty work. God knows nobody in that house would punish the adorable toddler if they caught her. It was the perfect plan! A tiny, innocent inside man to help Anne drive Aragon up the walls.

For the rest of that night, the girls laid discussing the endless possibilities. How Joan would let her sit in her lap and play piano, how Maggie would teach her how to swim, the chaos she may cause in the theatre. They talked about every single scenario you could imagine until, eventually, the two fell asleep with smiles on their faces, dreaming of that fiery-haired girl.

Sometimes, it’s easier to lay awake at night, overthinking impossible scenarios in your head. Maybe the torturous insomnia feels well deserved. 

Sometimes, though - just sometimes - all you can do to help yourself is ramble into the morning. 

Bottling everything up isn’t healthy. It may have taken her a while but Anne Boleyn was learning that lesson. Slowly but surely, she was learning to reminisce. To let herself talk about the past and that red-haired girl she dreamed of night after night. 

Perhaps, one day, we may speak our thoughts to life. Anne had to keep hope in that minuscule possibility as she spoke of the future she dreamed of.

One day.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading as always, my darlings! 💚 I required mama Bo and beheaded cousins fluff so here we are! I hope you enjoyed it!! Remember to drink water and get plenty of rest. You're doing great 🦆
> 
> P.s. I'm sorry if I changed tenses a couple of times. I kept catching myself doing it at random points but i did my best to correct it 😂


End file.
